Internet users in China hits 162 million

Internet users in China hits 162 million

The number of Internet users in China hit 162 million at the end of June, a state information centre said, with growth in the first six months of this year nearly matching that for the whole of 2006.

The world's second-largest online population grew by 25 million from January to the end of June, according to a report by the China Internet Network Information Center, as the country closes the gap with the United States' 211 million Internet users.

In China -- which is close to rolling out third-generation wireless standards -- 44.3 million people use cellphones to go online, the report said, adding that the number of broadband users had reached 122 million.